by Bambang Purwanto

JAKARTA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tests on the Bakrie-BYD electric buses in Indonesia's Jakarta, Bali and Aceh have showed satisfactory results in the hope that such mass public transportation means using non-fossil fuel would operate soon in the three Indonesian provinces.

Bakrie refers to an Indonesian automotive components manufacturer PT Bakrie Autoparts, and BYD represents BYD Co Ltd which is a Chinese manufacturer of various products and automobiles including electric buses.

From the recent trials of buses in Indonesian capital city of Jakarta and the resort island of Bali, the results were very satisfying and the local administrations appreciate them, President Director of PT Bakrie Autoparts Dino A. Riyandi said.

"Meanwhile in Aceh, the trial is currently underway and according to the reports we received, the local transportation office is very satisfied and people are enthusiastic to try (the electric buses)," Riyandi told Antara news agency here on Friday.

For the three-month trial in Jakarta starting July 6, 2020, the bus operator PT TransJakarta has carried out two single low entry bus units of type K9 and medium bus type C6, plying a route from the Jakarta City Hall in Central Jakarta to an area in South Jakarta.

The test in Bali was carried out in November and December 2020 through tourism strategic areas, he said, adding that the trials in Jakarta and Bali have satisfied the local administrations and passengers making the company continue to develop electric buses, as this is in line with the central government's program to reduce urban air pollutions.

In the capital city, according to Riyandi, the procurement process for electric buses in February 2021 is being carried out by the Jakarta Transportation Office, and funds are also being prepared for the purchase of vehicles.

"We hope that by September 2021 they (the buses) will be operational," Riyandi added.

PT Bakrie Autoparts as the sole agent company for BYD electric buses in Indonesia is ready to meet the demands of regional administrations for electric buses, he said, citing that his company is also ready to receive the arrival of vehicle chassis from BYD in China, to be assembled in the country as passenger buses.

After deciding to become a player in the electric vehicle business, PT Bakrie Autoparts then targeted the public bus segment, Riyandi said.

He noted that the volume of public vehicles only reaches 2 percent of the total 100 million motor vehicles in Indonesia, but the former is one of the main polluters in big cities in the country.

According to the Paris Agreement, until 2025 Indonesia is committed to moving 23 percent of public transportation vehicles with electric power.

Currently, only 8 percent of public vehicles have used electric energy, and with this commitment, the public transportation market in the form of electric buses is still promising, he continued.

"Around 2017, we started looking for partners to procure electric buses. We see that the most suitable partner is BYD for many reasons, especially because they are the only electric vehicle manufacturer in the world that makes their own main components. Now it is the largest electric vehicle company in the world," Riyandi said as reported by Investor Daily.

A number of stakeholders have supported the national program on electric vehicle production.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has projected that 125,000 units of electric cars and 1.34 million units of electric motor cycles would be on the road in 2021, in the hope there would be a potential to reduce fuel consumption by 0.44 million kiloliters per year. Enditem

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